The 10 worst football disasters in history

Members of Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense were among 81 people on board a chartered aircraft that crashed late Monday in Medellin, Colombia. Here is a look at 10 football disasters that shook the world.

The Torino team was travelling back to Turin after playing a friendly against Benfica in Lisbon, Portugal, on board the Italian Airlines flight Fiat G.212. The flight crashed into the side of the mountain -- on which the Basilica of Superga stood -- because of low visibility and strong winds. The entire Torino team died in the crash which claimed the lives of all 31 people on the flight.

2. Munich air disaster

Date: February 6, 1958

Location: Munich, West Germany

Manchester United footballer Bobby Charlton with a journalist while recovering in hospital in Munich after the plane crash which killed 23 people, including seven of his team mates on 7th February 1958.
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British European flight 609, carrying the Manchester United team (famously nicknamed Busby Babes), crashed on its third attempt to take off from the Munich-Riem airport. The crash occurred because of complications from harsh weather conditions. Of the 44 on board, 23 people died in the crash or from injuries sustained, including eight players from Manchester United’s first team.

3. Zambia national team air disaster

Date: April 27, 1993

Location: Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Gabon

A specially-arranged air force flight for the Zambian national team crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 500 metres off the coast from Libreville, Gabon. The flight was carrying the national team for a 1994 World Cup qualifying match against Senegal in Dakar. All passengers on board perished in the crash, including 18 players of the national team.

4. Dniprodzerzhynsk mid-air collision

Date: August 11, 1979

Location: Near Dniprodzerzhynsk, Ukrainian SSR

A mid-air collision caused by an air traffic control error caused the death of 178 people on board two flights (Flight СССР-65816 had 94 on board, Flight СССР-65735 had 84 on board). The planes collided in a cloud. The crash also caused the death of 17 players and staff of Soviet top division team, Pakhtakor.

5. Alianza Lima air disaster

Date: December 8, 1987

Location: Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Peru

A chartered flight for Peruvian club Alianza Lima crashed 11 kilometres off the coast of the city of Callao in the Ventanilla District. The pilot flew the plane too low, causing the right wing to hit the water and result in the crash. Of the 44 people on board, including players, managers, staff, cheerleaders and crew, only the pilot survived.

6. Heysel stadium disaster

Date: May 29, 1985

Location: Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium

14 Italian fans were crushed by a fallen wall, while fleeing Liverpool fans prior to the 1985 European Cup final in Brussels, Belgium.
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Juventus and Liverpool were to play the 1985 European Cup Final when rioting broke out. Before kick-off, Liverpool fans began throwing stones at the Juventus fans who attempted to flee onto another stand. A total of 39 fans lost their lives due to suffocation or as a result of being crushed against a perimeter wall in the confusion.

7. Hillsborough stadium disaster

Date: April 15, 1989

Location: Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England

A 1988-89 FA Cup semifinal between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest had to be abandoned as a result of a human crush in two stands of the Hillsborough Stadium. Poor organisation by police assigned to the match resulted in excess fans filling into the standing-only central pens causing the death of 96 people.

8. Lima national stadium disaster

Date: May 24, 1964

Location: Estadio Nacional in Lima, Peru

Anger at a disallowed goal for Peru against Argentina during a qualification match for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics resulted in the fans invading the pitch. Police fired tear gas at the crowd which caused them to panic and attempt to exit the stadium. A stampede followed and people were crushed at the steel gates causing the death of 328 people through internal haemorrhaging and asphyxia.

9. Kathmandu stadium disaster

Date: March 12, 1988

Location: Dasarath Rangasala Stadium in Kathmandu, Nepal

At least 80 people lost their lives in the panic of attempting to escape a huge hailstorm during a local match. The crowd attempted to exit the stadium through a tunnel at the south terrace but caused a fatal stampede and crush.

10. Kolkata Derby Stampede

Date: August 16, 1980

Location: Eden Gardens

A stampede during a Kolkata derby match between Mohan Bagan and East Bengal resulted in the death of 16 people at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. It is to date the greatest football tragedy in India.